England must start playing to the potential captain Stuart Broad is convinced they have, or face an early exit from the ICC World Twenty20.

The champions know, after the 15-run defeat by the West Indies at Pallekele, that they need to beat New Zealand at the same venue or suffer what could be harsh consequences.

Should they lose today and Sri Lanka beat the West Indies in the match which follows, England's defence of their title will be over, irrespective of how they fare against the hosts in their final Super Eight fixture on Monday.

Broad has good reason to be exasperated by the damaging false starts to England's last two run chases, in which early wickets have put them in near-impossible situations.

They never hinted at recovery in a record defeat against India, but did get closer than seemed likely against the West Indies thanks to a century stand between Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales.

A simple but stark equation faces England, and their captain appears to be relishing the chance to show their true colours, when nothing else will do.

''The next two games are must-win for us,'' he said.

''That's quite a good place to be in - you have clear targets of what you need to achieve.

''The way Samit Patel came back with the ball was really good (against the West Indies), and the way Hales and Morgan played was exciting.

''We just need to put it all together in these next two games. If we do that, we're in the semi-final of a World Cup.''

England's most pressing concern is to avoid the self-inflicted blows which have so hampered them at the top of the order, where Craig Kieswetter's position may be in question, even at this pivotal stage.